Wandering Eyes

Supporters of Sir Michael Stoute-trained newcomer Highest Ground (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) might have feared the worst when the Niarchos Family’s homebred planted himself as the gates opened for Monday’s British Stallion Studs EBF Kegworth Novice S. at Leicester, but rider Ryan Moore was in no mood for a cigar and encouraged his mount to recoup several forfeited lengths and into midfield after the early exchanges of the seven-furlong event. Nudged along approaching the quarter-mile marker, the 3-1 chance powered his way to the front with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining and kept on strongly in the closing stages to easily outclass his ten rivals and earn ‘TDN Rising Star’ status with an impressive 2 3/4-length success from Macho Boy (Ire) (Camacho {GB}). Highest Ground becomes the eighth winner out of Listed Prix Herod third Celestial Lagoon (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) and the May-foaled bay is a half-brother to MGSP Listed Prix Volterra victress Night of Light (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), stakes-winning G3 Prix Chloe second Maria Gabriella (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) and the dual stakes-placed Roatan (GB) (Daylami {Ire}). Other black-type descendants of Celestial Lagoon, who produced a Lope de Vega (Ire) filly this year, include stakes-winning dual G3 Grosser Preis der Wirtschaft placegetter Cashman (Fr) (Soldier of Fortune {Ire}) and stakes-winning G3 Prix de la Porte Maillot runner-up Marianafoot (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}). Highest Ground’s stakes-placed second dam Metaphor (Woodman) is a half-sister to GI Shoemaker Breeders’ Cup Mile runner-up and MGSW sire King of Happiness (Spinning World) out of a MGSW half-sister to MGSW sire Robin des Pins (Nureyev). 1st-Leicester, £10,000, Cond, 9-23, 2yo, 7fT, 1:23.33, g/f. HIGHEST GROUND (IRE), c, 2, by Frankel (GB) 1st Dam: Celestial Lagoon (Jpn) (SP-Fr), by Sunday Silence 2nd Dam: Metaphor, by Woodman 3rd Dam: Mystery Rays, by Nijinsky II 1ST-TIME STARTER. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $8,080. O/B-Niarchos Family (IRE); T-Sir Michael Stoute. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. The post Frankel’s Highest Ground Earns TDN Rising Star Tag at Leicester appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Eight years of sustained growth in the key metrics was interrupted at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, but with trade at the mid to high end ticking along nicely so far this European sales season, the powers that be at Tattersalls Ireland are hopeful that the graph can be recalibrated upwards after this week’s edition. The two day sale will be followed by the single session September Yearling Sale Part II on Thursday. Last year 411 of the 526 offered yearlings grossed €10,488,000 at an average of €25,518 and a median of €20,000. The 2018 clearance rate fell to 78% from 89% the year before and in an effort to arrest that decline this year’s catalogue has been compressed to 480 lots, a similar number to 2017. “We deliberately tightened up our numbers after last year and as a consequence we have seen a very positive response to the catalogue,” said Tattersalls Ireland Chief Executive Officer Matt Mitchell. “We are encouraged by trade at the yearling sales so far this autumn and the recently announced Ballyhane Stud sponsored median auction series will provide another incentive for trainers to buy on spec or for new owners to get involved. Also, we are hoping for increased activity from buyers from continental Europe while there will also be a Chinese presence at the sale.” Some of the likelier types on paper could include lot 97, a colt by Awtaad (Ire) from Ballyhane Stud out of French stakes winner Ziria (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}). The mare has produced six winners from nine runners with four of those winning at stakes level. Michael Tallon offers a draft of four yearlings and the most interesting from a pedigree perspective is lot 145. The colt by Mukhadram (GB) is a half-brother to Foxtrot Liv (GB) (Foxwedge {Aus}), who finished third in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas earlier this year and could prove a nice pinhook having been bought by Tallon last year at Tattersalls Ireland for €13,000. Lot 191 from Yeomanstown Stud is a filly by one of the O’Callaghans’ resident stallions Camacho (GB) out of the Scandinavian stakes winner Cover Girl (Ire) (Common Grounds). The dam-line is replete with black-type horses such as G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Sudirman (Henrythenavigator), while Castle Hill Cassie (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) is the latest stakes winner to bolster the pedigree. Bill Dwan’s Castlebridge Consignment sold the second-highest priced horse last year and among his large draft of 33 yearlings are some potential stand-out horses. Lot 202 is a Dawn Approach (Ire) half-brother to G3 Ballysax S. winner Puncher Clynch (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), while lot 369 is the only yearling by Kingman (GB) in the sale. The colt is out of stakes winner Mary Boleyn (Ire) (King’s Best), who has already produced a stakes performer in Clotilde (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and whose 2-year-old What An Angel (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was runner up in a maiden at Ascot earlier this month for Richard Hannon. Another elite sire with single representation in the sale is Sea The Stars (Ire). The Cosgrove family’s Kilcarn Park Stud offer a daughter of the brilliant Gilltown stallion as lot 297. The filly is the first foal out of the dual winner Holy Spring (Ire), who was placed in listed races in both Germany and Italy. One certainly bred for speed is lot 213 from Lodge Park Stud. The colt by Muhaarar (GB) is a half-brother to five-time Group 1-winning sprinter Sole Power (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}). The globetrotter’s former trainer Eddie Lynam has enjoyed great success from this sale having purchased the catalogue’s cover girl Soffia (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}} for €52,000 in 2016. That filly’s subsequent exploits should guarantee the trainer’s presence on the sales grounds this week. Michael Ryan of Al Eile Stud enjoyed some good days on the track with Duchess Andorra (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), and Ryan offers the first foal out of his G3 Denny Cordell-Lavarack S. winner. lot 226 is a colt by Dark Angel (Ire) and the grand-son of champion 2-year-old Pass The Peace (GB) (Alzao) should be popular. Connections of lot 372, a filly by first crop stallion Harzand (Ire) out of Mean Lae (Ire) (Johannesburg), could be set for a bittersweet sale. Having purchased the mare Mean Lae privately for small money just before her daughter Jet Setting (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) won the G1 Irish Tattersalls 1000 Guineas in 2016, they then lost the mare last year. However, they received some significant consolation recently when two horses out of Mean Lae that they have in training with Gerry Keane both won. Mean Fomhair (Ire), a full-sister to Jet Setting, got an important winning bracket when scoring for the first time at Roscommon earlier this month while a more significant update arrived last week when the mare’s juvenile colt Eloy D’amerval (Ire) (Capella Sansevero {GB}) made a smart winning debut at Naas. Speaking in between inspections on Monday the yearling’s owner and breeder Brian Duffy said, “She is a nice filly and she is now a half-sister to three winners instead of one as it states in the catalogue. She is a big rangy filly, quite like the sire Harzand, and she has a great attitude to everything. Unfortunately we lost the mare last year due to colic when this filly was three months old. I suppose we were very lucky to have bought the mare in the first place, just before Jet Setting came out and won the Guineas. Thankfully we kept Mean Fomhair to keep the family going in the future and she won nicely last month. We might race her on next season. Eloy d’Amerval looks fairly smart too so there is plenty happening in the family.” Another yearling to benefit from a significant recent update is lot 51, a filly by Ivawood (Ire) from Mount Pleasant Farm. The filly’s half-sister Encapsulation (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) landed the Listed Doonside Cup at Ayr last Friday for trainer Andrew Balding, who is a good supporter of this sale. Richard Hannon introduced a useful-looking filly at Newbury also last Friday when Theotherside (Ire) Dandy Man {Ire}) made a successful debut in a 2-year-old maiden and her half-sister will be offered by Tradewinds Stud as lot 408. The Dragon Pulse (Ire) filly is out of the stakes placed four-time winner New Magic (Ire) (Statue Of Liberty), who has now bred two winners from two runners of racing age. The sale will commence at 10 a.m. on each day with all lots eligible to run in the €300,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales S. at The Curragh next September. The post Positive Mood Ahead Of Tattersalls Ireland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost.Announcement: Betfair will no longer be offering markets on Hong Kong racing. We will continue to reach out to the Hong Kong Jockey Club to attempt to enter into a product fee and integrity agreement – @Betfair_AusThe news Betfair Australia was halting its operation on Hong Kong racing certainly caught the Jockey Club by surprise.It hadn’t heard anything from the… View the full article

Racing returns to Happy Valley on Wednesday night, albeit a week later than expected for almost half of the horses competing.A total of 43 runners were slated to run in last Wednesday’s now infamous canned meeting, throwing into disarray a number of jockey bookings on the night.The Jockey Club granted priority to any horse who had been entered to run during the cancelled meeting, with many returning in near identical races to what they would have run in seven days earlier.An extra race was also… View the full article

Hong Kong Deby winner Ping Hai Star has been retired.The 2017 champion succumbed to a sesamoid issue which saw him miss almost all of last season after he put in a slashing first-up performance when he finished second to Hong Kong superstar Beauty Generation in the Group Three Celebration Cup (1,400m).Trainer John Size persisted with the six-year-old for some time but was ultimately unable to get him back to the racetrack, having not completed anything more than trotting and swimming since… View the full article

Trainer James Cummings has watched several of Godolphin’s horses work at The Valley. Godolphin will be strongly represented in the Group One Moir Stakes with Trekking and Viridine and trainer James Cummings has not ruled out adding to the fire power by nominating three-year-old filly Exhilarates. Cummings indicated it was more likely last season’s Magic Millions Classic winner would run against her own age and sex in Friday night’s Group Three Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at The Valley but he and the team would consider the Moir option. The 1000m sprint has attracted 18 nominations including five Group One winners. “We’ll have a talk about that,” Cummings said. “She will be in receipt of the weight-for-age allowance in the Moir but she is only a filly. We’re no certainty to be running there. “And when you’ve got a set weights option on the same night, the Scarborough, it would be nice for her to be lining up there as one of the horses to beat. “She’s been one of the best three-year-old fillies in Melbourne in the early stages of the spring and there’s got to be something to be said for keeping her in the company that she can keep winning against and keep her confidence high.” Exhilarates has won the Quezette Stakes at Caulfield and Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) at The Valley so far this preparation. Her mother, Samaready, won the Moir as a four-year-old in 2013. Trekking, Viridine and Exhilarates all galloped at The Valley on Monday morning with Cummings there to oversee the hit-outs. Five-year-old gelding Viridine was scratched from Saturday’s The Shorts in Sydney because of a wet track and was sent to Melbourne for the Moir. Trekking runs for the first time since winning the Group One Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) in Brisbane in June and Cummings said he worked beautifully at The Valley. “He’s had a really good preliminary before the Moir and it will be interesting to see how he goes over 1000 metres fresh,” he said. “He’s going to be up against some talented five-furlong horses who are going to be pouring on plenty of pressure. “So he’ll be smoking in behind them and hopefully he’s just within striking distance to be joining in and become competitive. “I think he’s still got his tail in the air from that impressive win in the Stradbroke and I’d like to see him win fresh-up but the five furlongs will definitely be a challenge for him.” The post Godolphin nominate three for G1 WFA Moir appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Loving Gaby will be aimed at the Group One Empire Rose Stakes for fillies and mares. Loving Gaby has yet to step out at the races this spring but her connections have their sights on a feature race later in the carnival for the dual Group One-placed filly. With races such as the Group One Thousand Guineas (1600m) on October 12 coming up too soon for Loving Gaby, the stable is aiming her at the Group One Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) on November 2 at Flemington. The Empire Rose is run at weight-for-age for fillies and mares and three-year-olds have won two of the past three years, with I Am A Star successful in 2016 before Shoals’ victory the following year. “We thought that would be her race,” co-trainer David Eustace said. “She has run a mile. Three-year-old fillies in that race have obviously got a good record so we just identified that as a Group One race she can win, having missed the Guineas.” Loving Gaby contested four of the five Group One races for two-year-olds in Australia last season, finishing sixth in the Blue Diamond before her fourth in the Golden Slipper and seconds in both the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes and Champagne Stakes. After that autumn campaign, which included a Group Three win in the Chairman’s Stakes on debut in February, Eustace said the filly had taken time to come to hand this preparation. Loving Gaby was taken to The Valley to gallop on Monday morning and is nominated for Saturday’s Group Three Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at the same track. While that is an option connections are likely to wait a bit longer before launching her campaign. “She looked to work really nicely but we still feel she’s a couple of weeks off really peaking,” Eustace said. Eustace said stakes-placed Charleise, winner of a maiden at Geelong at her first start of this campaign on September 15, was set to run in the Scarborough after also working at The Valley on Monday. “She worked very nicely,” Eustace said. The post Empire Rose Stakes aim for Loving Gaby appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Godolphin’s Bivouac (blue) is the outright favourite for the $1 million Group One Golden Rose. Bivouac has assumed favouritism from Exceedance for the Group One Golden Rose but trainer James Cummings admits the 1400 metres is an unknown factor. The Godolphin colt finished second to Exceedance from the Hawes Racing stable in the San Domenico (1100m) but was dominant in the Run To The Rose (1200m) in which his rival was third. The two had been sharing the top market position at $3.50 but on Monday the TAB tightened Bivouac to $3.20 for Saturday’s feature at Rosehill. “He really flew to the line in the Run To The Rose and put in a fantastic Golden Rose trial,” Cummings said. “I’d say that he’s going to be ready to run another big race. “The Golden Rose is 1400 and Bivouac has got to get up and do it. But we are not going to pull him out of the race out of the unknown.” After Bivouac’s second to Exceedance in the San Domenico, Cummings decided to remove the blinkers the colt had worn since he was a young horse and he raced tractable to beat Yes Yes Yes by two lengths. The horses who are known at the distance are Castelvecchio ($11), winner of the Group One Champagne Stakes and Prince Fawaz ($26) winner of the Group One J J Atkins, both over 1600m. Kubrick ($8) finished a close second to Prince Fawaz in the Brisbane Group One event but his Chris Waller-trained stablemate Yes Yes Yes is more fancied for the Rose at $8. Yao Dash is also an $8 chance and will be ridden by Adam Hyeronimus. Owner Dynamic Syndications and trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have made a late call on Yao Dash running in the race. Nash Rawiller, who rode him to beat Funstar at Rosehil earlier this month, had already committed to Yes Yes Yes. The post Bivouac assumes Golden Rose favouritism appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Premier Brisbane trainer Tony Gollan has four horses earmarked for Melbourne carnival races. Brisbane trainer Tony Gollan believes his stable’s quartet of young horses is set to turn their luck around and make their mark on the Melbourne spring carnival. Gollan has mapped out programs for Zoustyle, Niedorp, Vincere Volare and Garibaldi in coming weeks. Zoustyle has headed to Melbourne after running last in a star-studded Concorde Stakes in Sydney two weeks ago. “He is down at Flemington and did a bit of work last week. He seems to be coming along nicely and he will run in the (Listed) Testa Rossa at Caulfield on Sunday,” he said. Three-year-old fillies Niedorp and Vincere Volare will head to The Valley on Friday night for the Group Three Scarborough Stakes. “Niedorp was good when fifth at her first try at the Flemington straight last start and I hope Vincere Volare gets out of the barriers better than she did in the same race,” Gollan said. In-form Sydney jockey Nash Rawiller is set to ride Vincere Volare for the first time on Friday night. Gollan said both fillies seemed to have settled in well to Melbourne. Gollan will give another of his three-year-olds, Garibaldi, three weeks off after his tough run when fifth at Doomben last week. “He had a very wide trip so he can have three weeks between runs. He can head to Melbourne next week and have his first run down there at Flemington on October 5,” Gollan said. The premier trainer in both metropolitan Brisbane and overall in Queensland, Gollan was also voted the state’s Trainer of the Year for last season. The post Gollan takes four horses to Melbourne appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Co-trainer David Eustace expects Humidor to be getting near his best after a long injury break. After two unplaced runs off a long injury lay-off, dual Cox Plate placegetter Humidor will be out to show he is on track for another crack at Australasia’s premier weight-for-age race when he runs in the Underwood Stakes. Humidor, now trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, was second in the 2017 Cox Plate to Winx and third behind the mare last year when prepared by Darren Weir. The gelding emerged from last year’s Cox Plate with a suspensory injury and did not make his return until the Group One Memsie Stakes (1400m) on August 31 before running in the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) a couple of weeks later. The seven-year-old finished 10th in both races but Eustace believes he is ready to improve in Sunday’s Group One Underwood (1800m) at Caulfield. “I thought both of Humidor’s runs have been pretty good considering he’s had a year off and a suspensory injury,” Eustace said. “We thought the way he hit the line the other day was good. He just needs to probably blend into the race a bit quicker. He was last turning in the other day from the wide draw. “I’d just love to see him draw something like barrier six, seven, eight and just lob into a spot instead of having to be making ground all the time, particularly off the back of a long lay-off where he has showed that rustiness. “I think we will see a better performance on Sunday.” With Damian Lane to ride New Zealand horse The Chosen One in the Underwood, Kerrin McEvoy is likely to ride Humidor. Dual Group One-winning stablemate Kenedna also heads to the Underwood off midfield placings in the P B Lawrence Stakes and Feehan Stakes. “Second-up she just found it a little bit tough around The Valley,” Eustace said. “She was on the turn and wide the whole way and she’s a mare who likes to balance up and have a bit of time to get into the latter part of the race. “She needs a really good, honest tempo. “I thought it was a pass mark at The Valley and hopefully she can improve going up in trip.” The Caulfield Cup is the most likely target for Kenedna and she is a $26 chance while Humidor is the same price for the Cox Plate. “We think Kenedna will stay a mile and a half under handicap conditions,” Eustace said. “We’re not ruling out the Cox Plate but the Caulfield Cup is probably where she’s most likely to go. “Obviously Humidor has got the class for the Cox Plate if back to his best. Just hopefully he is.” The post Underwood next step for Humidor, Kenenda appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

James McDonald will ride Epsom Handicap favourite Te Akau Shark in a race day gallop at Canterbury. Epsom Handicap favourite Te Akau Shark will have a race day gallop at Canterbury to keep him ticking over for the Group One feature. His Epsom jockey James McDonald will ride the gelding in Wednesday’s work-out. Te Akau Shark finished second in his first Australian start in the Tramway Stakes at Randwick on September 7 won by Dreamforce. The Epsom (1600m) is on October 5 with the Group One Flight Stakes on the same program. Te Akau Shark’s Jamie Richards-trained stablemate Probabeel will run in the Flight (1600m) following her close second to Funstar in Saturday’s Tea Rose Stakes (1400m). Richards said Probabeel had pulled up from the race in fine order. “She appears to have bounced through it well,” he said. “She got back a little further than we had expected but hit the line powerfully which augurs well for the step up to the mile in the Flight Stakes. “She is going to be very competitive at the mile so as long as she makes the progress we think she will.” Richards will also have New Zealand champion Melody Belle running at home on Saturday week as she tries to add the Livamol Classic to her Group One wins this season in the Tarzino Trophy and the Windsor Park Plate. The post Te Akau Shark to gallop at Canterbury appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

The Epsom Handicap is a Group One race run over the famous Randwick mile. View the full article

Rondinella before her trial at Taupo last month Photo: Trish Dunell The connections of smart Cambridge mare Rondinella will get an early guide to her prospects of becoming a serious Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) contender when she makes her Melbourne debut at Moonee Valley on Friday night. A multiple Group One placegetter last campaign, Rondinella will contest the Gr.2 Stocks Stakes (1600m), in which she will be ridden by Nash Rawiller. Rondinella arrived in Melbourne on Sunday in the care of co-trainer Roger James, who is looking forward to Friday’s mission. “She travelled well and I’m happy with her,” James said. Rondinella was tried in Sydney last autumn after finishing third to Melody Belle and Danzdanzdance in the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie and performed well on both occasions. She finished third to the highly rated Avilius in the Gr.1 Tancred Stakes (2400m)at Rosehill on an unsuitable heavy track then ran a solid fourth in the Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m). “She had a relatively short break after Sydney so as to be ready for Melbourne,” James said. “She took a while to come up, but she’s really come on in the last few days.” Rondinella will contest the Gr.2 Stocks Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night Photo: Trish Dunell After a trials third behind last Saturday’s Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) winner Aretha at the Taupo trials, she resumed with a fourth in heavy footing over 1400m at Ellerslie earlier this month and will appreciate the step up to 1600m on Friday night. “I expect her to play her part and be in the first three if she is on tune,” James said. “We’ll then revise where to go with her next, depending on what she does. “The goal is to get to the Cox Plate if her form is good enough.” James and training partner, Robert Wellwood, are also pleased with the progress being made by Concert Hall, Hasstobegood and Amal Rose. Concert Hall finished a close second behind Vernanme in Sunday’s Listed Karaka Classic (1600m) at Pukekohe and will start next in the Listed Team Wealleans Matamata Cup (1600m) on October 12. “She tailed the field home first-up in that same race Rondinella contested and on better footing she was beaten less than a half-length on Sunday,” James said. “We’re very mindful she wants to stay, but we have never got her further than 1600m because of her form, but we could look at stepping her up after the Matamata Cup.” Hasstobegood was an eye-catching fresh-up fifth in Saturday’s Gold Trail Stakes, stretching out well over the final stages to be just over two lengths from the winner. “She didn’t have the easiest of runs, but was putting in big strides at the finish,” James said. The next stop for Hasstobegood is the Gr.3 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie on October 26 as she pushes her case for a tilt at the Gr.1 gavelhouse.com New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton a fortnight later. Also headed for the Soliloquy Stakes is Amal Rose, another New Zealand 1000 Guineas aspirant. A daughter of Written Tycoon, Amal Rose was third on debut last May behind Loire (who finished third in Saturday’s Gold Trail Stakes) and she was beaten a mere nose fresh-up at Taupo last week. “She was unlucky not to win at Taupo,” James said. “She’s a smart filly.” The post Rondinella on Cox Plate path appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Five Group One winners feature among the 18 nominations for the Moir Stakes which has a field limit of 15 plus emergencies. A change of plans because of a wet track in Sydney last weekend has prompted the Tony and Calvin McEvoy stable to bring Sunlight back to Melbourne to run in Friday night’s $1 million Group One sprint over 1000m at The Valley and she worked at the course on Monday morning. Galaxy winner Nature Strip, who was beaten as favourite in the Moir last year, is also among the headline entries along with Godolphin’s Stradbroke Handicap winner Trekking, New Zealand sprinter The Bostonian and Oakleigh Plate winner Booker. The Tony Pike-trained The Bostonian, who won two Group One sprints in Brisbane in May, won a jump-out at Flemington last Friday in preparation for his return in the Moir. Nature Strip has been posted as the $3 favourite in an early all-in market on Monday ahead of Sunlight at $6 and Trekking at $8. The post Group One Moir attracts 18 nominations appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Sunlight (L) has had a gallop at The Valley ahead of the Moir Stakes after missing a race in Sydney. Having missed a start in The Shorts in Sydney, Everest-bound Sunlight has been re-acquainted with The Valley ahead of the $1 million Moir Stakes. Co-trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy opted to scratch Sunlight from Saturday’s Group Two Shorts (1100m) at Randwick because of a wet track and sent her back to Melbourne to instead run in Friday night’s Group One Moir (1000m) to keep her campaign for the $14 million Everest on October 19 on track. Her regular jockey Luke Currie was aboard the four-year-old in a hit-out at The Valley on Monday morning when the sprinter worked with younger stablemate Aten. “She just came here to get re-familiarised with the Valley and do a sharp piece of work with a friend,” Calvin McEvoy said. “We were really happy and Luke was happy. She pulled up clean and well and I think she enjoyed being back here at The Valley. “Obviously there’s been a change of plans but it hasn’t been anything dramatic. “She will run on Friday night and then we will re-assess whether she needs to back up in the Premiere Stakes at Randwick on Saturday week to get another run into her, or just trial her into The Everest. “There’s plenty of options and we’re very comfortable where we’re at at the moment.” Currie believes Sunlight has tightened up since running fifth of six in the Concorde Stakes (1000m) in her season return on September 7. “She looks a little bit tighter and a little bit brighter,” Currie said. “She is going well. She is not completely wound up yet but she should keep improving from now through until The Everest.” The Shorts field was reduced to five with several scratchings and won by Pierata on a soft surface. The post Sunlight back in Melbourne for G1 Moir appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) prospect Shakespeare Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) JohnoBenner and Holly Wynyard will get a better line on three-year-old staying prospect Shakespeare when he contests Wednesday’s Victoria Derby Trial (1800m) at Flemington. The Otaki trainers are aiming high with the last-start maiden winner, with the Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on November 2 the ultimate goal. Shakespeare will be ridden by Damian Lane on Wednesday and has drawn well in barrier three in a field of 13. “Holly took him over last Wednesday and he’s settled in well,” Benner said. “We’ve always thought he was a Derby style of horse and we’ve backed ourselves and are having a go. “We’ll learn a lot from Wednesday’s race, but I know the distance won’t worry him. “If he runs massive we’ll press on towards the Derby. There are a few options as lead-ups after this one, races like the Vase (Gr.2, 2040m) at Moonee Valley, the Geelong Classic (Listed, 2200m) and the Caulfield Classic (Gr.3, 2000m).” Shakespeare, a son of Poet’s Voice, had three starts as a two-year-old and was placed against the older horses in a maiden 1400m at Otaki then put aside after finishing seventh in the Listed Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Ellerslie last April. He has had two starts this campaign, finishing third at Woodville over 1300m then winning in good style over 1650m at Waverley late last month. Shakespeare could be joined in Melbourne by stablemate Wyndspelle, who finished fourth behind Melody Belle in last Saturday’s Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) at Hastings. “He probably should have run second,” Benner said. “He was tardy away and got in a horror spot then never really got rolling until the last 100m. He ran through the line well, but was never going to beat the mare (Melody Belle).” With Melody Belle now set to attempt to complete the Hawke’s Bay Triple Crown in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) on October 5, Wyndspelle is more likely to try his luck in Australia. “I’ve got to talk it over with the owners, but my thinking is he can’t beat Melody Belle in the Livamol so we’d only be running for second,” Benner said. “We’d have to pay the late nomination for the Livamol and even if he did run second it wouldn’t help his value as a stallion prospect any more. He’d be better off running second in one of the good ones in Melbourne.” The likely Melbourne targets for Wyndspelle are the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on October 12 and Gr.1 Kennedy Cantala Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on November 2. “If he goes over it would be just for the two races and he could then come back and have a break and get ready for races like the Thorndon Mile (Gr.1, 1600m) and the Otaki Group One WFA (Gr.1, 1600m),” Benner said. “We won’t run into Melody Belle in those ones.” Benner and Wynyard have a team of 20 in work and a few of them will be starting at their local Otaki meeting on Thursday, including the two-year-old Piaggio, who is part-owned by Benner. Piaggio is a son of the stable’s 2014 Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) winner Vespa, who went on to win a total of eight races including the Gr.1 Diamond Stakes (1200m) and Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m). Piaggio won at the Foxton trials last month and was third behind Cool Aza Beel over 800m on debut at Wanganui. “He’d had a few issues going into Wanganui and is over those now,” Benner said. “I expect him to be right in it on Thursday.” The post Shakespeare on Derby path appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Two of our SuperCoach Racing experts went head-to-head last weekend in a test run ahead of this Saturday’s first round and some handy lessons have been learned. View the full article

Queensland Derby winner Mr Quickie has had a gallop at The Valley with Cox Plate among his options. With the Cox Plate at The Valley among the spring options for Queensland Derby winner Mr Quickie, trainer Phillip Stokes has given the gelding a familiarisation gallop at the course. Mr Quickie was among several high profile horses to work at The Valley on Monday morning including fellow Group One winners Sunlight and Trekking who are both scheduled to run in Friday night’s Group One Moir Stakes (1000m). Mr Quickie flashed home for third in the Group One Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last Saturday week and will have his next start on October 5 in the Group One Turnbull Stakes. His Turnbull performance will have a major bearing on where he heads. After his slashing Makybe Diva Stakes run Mr Quickie was elevated to outright favouritism for the Group One Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 19 in which he has 53kg. The Caulfield Cup is a week before the Cox Plate (2040m). “We go to the Turnbull and then we’ve got obviously the Caulfield Cup or Cox Plate to weigh up. So we’ll see how we go,” Stokes said. The Pakenham-based Stokes believes Mr Quickie got what he wanted him to out of the excursion to The Valley. “It was just for a look at the track and a trip away,” Stokes said. “He worked over 1800 metres and he did everything we wanted him to do. “He changed lead legs a few times, just looking around but he seemed to be OK on the surface and his work was nice. “It really stimulated him so we were happy with what we achieved today.” Mr Quickie won the Derby 2400m but Stokes is still unsure what the four-year-old’s best distance is, especially after his third in the Maykbe Diva over 1600m. “We’ll know next start,” he said. “He’s still nominated in everything.” The post Mr Quickie gets look at Valley in gallop appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Godolphin colt Beyliks has won the first of the season’s official two-year-old barrier trials in Sydney. By champion Lonhro out of Group Three winner Ottoman, Beyliks drew away to win over 850 metres on the Kensington track at Randwick on Monday morning. Horses that compete in the officials trials get first preference for entry into the early two-year-old races. The first juvenile features, the Breeders’ Plate and the Gimcrack Stakes, are on October 5 at Randwick. The $3.5 million Golden Slipper in March at Rosehill is the world’s richest race for two-year-olds. The post Beyliks wins barrier trial for Godolphin appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

The 13-day Keeneland September Yearling Sale, paced by a record-setting $8.2-million filly, concluded Sunday in Lexington with its fifth-highest gross ever. In all, 2,855 yearlings sold for $360,004,700–just off the 2018 figure of $377,130,400 and the sale’s second-highest gross since 2007. It was the third straight year the auction grossed over $300,000,000, following eight years below that milestone after the global economic crash of 2008. The sale average and median dipped slightly from 2018, with the average down 2.5% to $126,096 from last year’s record $129,331, and the median of $45,000 down 10%. “I’m very pleased with how the sale went,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing and Sales Bob Elliston said as bidding was winding down Sunday afternoon. “We’re off on our gross, but with 500 fewer horses in Book 1 and Book 2, it was expected. Our average is going to be right on par with last year, our median is right on par, so that really speaks to the strength of the catalogue that was offered, in terms of the quality we had with those fewer horses up front.” Keeneland opened the September sale with reformatted Book 1 and 2 sections and 516 fewer horses catalogued in the auction’s opening elite sessions, as the sales company responded to requests from buyers to have more time to view the quality horses. The fine-tuning led to an action-packed Book 1 finale last Wednesday, which saw eight horses sell for over $1 million during a day of persistent bidding that ended with a session average of $524,855 and a median of $375,000. “We’ve received positive feedback from horsemen about the format change, and we are pleased with the consistently strong level of trade it generated throughout the sale,” Elliston said. “Buyers suggested we catalog fewer horses up front and we responded. By making that change, we extended the quality farther into the sale and created momentum for the second week.” Twenty-two yearlings sold for seven figures at the 2019 September sale, down from 27 a year ago, and million-dollar offerings were purchased by 14 unique buying interests. “There were a lot of different entities with a lot of money, so that was great to see,” said bloodstock agent Marette Farrell, whose purchases during the auction included a $1-million son of Candy Ride (Arg). “I think there was a much better concentration of good horses in Book 1. It really got the energy going. It helped the market [in later books]. The buyers realized they had to step up if they wanted the horse.” The obvious belle of the September ball was a half-sister by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah to Beholder (Henny Hughes), Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday) and Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy). Bred and consigned by Clarkland Farm, the yearling sparked a spirited bidding duel that held the sales pavilion spellbound before Mandy Pope of Whisper Hill Farm ultimately outlasted Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin to secure the prized filly for $8.2 million. The yearling became the highest-priced filly to ever sell at the September sale and the co-fourth-highest price ever paid at the auction. It was the highest price at the September sale since the $11.7 million given for Meydan City in 2006. Using seven consignors, Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Bred and Raised sold 48 horses throughout the sale for $16,790,700, among them four seven-figure horses led by the $4.1-million Curlin colt consigned by Eaton Sales “Book 1 was very strong and demand persisted into the later books,” Banke said. “Well-bred, attractive individuals were particularly sought after. International buyers were enthusiastic participants. Overall the market was strong.” September is often considered a bellwether sale for the industry and Elliston said he saw many positives in the auction’s results. “If you look at the domestic buyer who is acquiring horses to put into racing in the U.S., clearly rising purses in places like Kentucky and New York are indicative of a strength in the top end of the marketplace,” Elliston said. “I think the American-bred horse is also in considerable demand across the world. When you look the top 10 buyers, probably half of them were from another country. I think that speaks volumes about what Kentucky and American breeders are producing and how in demand those horses are. I know we’ve had some dark clouds on the racing side, we need to fix those and there are efforts underway to do that, but I think the September bellwether yearling sale says there are a lot of positive things going on with the American breeding industry.” While agreeing the September results look strong, Taylor Made Sales Agency’s Duncan Taylor continued to see polarization in the marketplace. “I think the market is strong, but is it a signal that all the stallion guys can start raising stud fees? No,” Taylor said. “It’s not like that. If you have a good horse, you get rewarded, but breeders have a tough job. It’s not an easy thing to do, to breed a horse who looks good and passes all the vets and sells good. If you breed 10 horses and you get three that are like that, you’re lucky. I think it’s a good market and the statistics show that, but I think that it’s still challenging. It’s not easy to make money breeding horses. I thought this year that, for a good horse, you got more money, and for an average horse, you got less. I think the market is still polarized, but it was a good sale.” Godolphin Leading Buyer Again Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum made his first appearance in nearly a decade at last year’s September sale and his Godolphin operation was far and away the auction’s leading buyer. The Dubai ruler returned to Lexington two days before the start of the 2019 September sale and Godolphin again dominated the results sheets in Book 1. Godolphin purchased four of the seven yearlings sold for $2 million or over at the auction. Overall, the operation purchased 10 horses for a total of $16,000,000. A year ago, Godolphin purchased 27 yearlings for $19,960,000. Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum’s Shadwell Estate Company, second leading buyer at the sale, purchased three of the 22 seven-figure yearlings while acquiring 18 head for $11,070,000. “Both Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikh Hamdan are strong supporters of the September Sale,” Elliston said. “Their participation is not only an economic benefit for Keeneland, but for all they’ve done for racing, it is an honor for us to have them attend the sale. When they go to the commercial market, Keeneland is their choice for yearlings. That’s a badge of honor for us.” Domestic interests followed on from the top two, with bloodstock agent Mike Ryan purchasing 30 head for $8,390,000, and Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm, with its lone $8.2-million purchase, landing as fourth leading buyer. Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm, the partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Racing, Donald Adam’s Courtlandt Farm and Gary and Mary West’s representative Ben Glass rounded out the top eight buyers. Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier had made the highest bid at the three previous September sales, and, while that string was broken in 2019, Magnier was active in bidding as part of several partnerships. Ultimately, Magnier’s name was on 10 tickets for a total of $7,805,000, led by a $1.5-million son of Medaglia d’ Oro purchased in partnership with Repole Stables and Vinnie Viola. In another prominent partnership, the China Horse Club bought 13 yearlings: three on its own and 10 with WinStar Farm’s Maverick Racing for $6,275,000. The partners went to $900,000 for a colt by Quality Road and spent $510,000 for another son of Quality Road who topped the sixth session. Buyers from across North America and 25 foreign countries representing Europe, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, South America and Latin America were active at the 13-day sale, with a strong Middle Eastern presence led by buyers from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Taylor Made Streak Continues Taylor Made Sales Agency was the September sale’s leading consignor for the fifth consecutive time and for the 21st time since 1988. The agency sold 290 yearlings for a gross of $40,660,900 and an average of $140,210. “I’m happy with that, but I still see room for us to improve,” Taylor Made’s Duncan Taylor said. “You continue to learn and adjust and do things better. I think we are doing a really good job, but I think we can get even better at what we’re doing. It’s always a challenge for the next year to try and do it again, but we are blessed to have really good customers who trust us with their horses.” Taylor Made sold four seven-figure yearlings, led by a $2.1-million colt by Pioneerof the Nile (hip 519) purchased by Mike Ryan on behalf of e Five Racing. Sire Power Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, bolstered by the auction’s $8.2-million topper, led all sires by gross at the September sale. The Coolmore stallion had 55 yearlings sell for $437,164. He was the fifth leading sire at the sale in 2018. Following a remarkable run of racetrack success this summer, Spendthrift’s Into Mischief was second leading sire by gross with 68 sold for $23,438,000. For the second straight year, War Front led stallions with five or more sold by average, with 14 sold for an average of $579,643. He was followed by Medaglia d’Oro, with 25 sold for an average of $566,320. Nine stallions were responsible for the 22 million-dollar transactions, with Hill ‘n’ Dale’s Curlin represented by five. Medaglia d’Oro had four seven-figure sales and the late Pioneerof the Nile had three. American Pharoah, War Front, Tapit, and Union Rags all had two, while Empire Maker and Candy Ride (Arg) had one each. Frosted was the leading freshman sire by gross, with 44 yearlings selling for $10,025,000. Runhappy led freshman sires by average price, with his 39 yearlings averaging $242,872. Format Change Wins Praise For the last several years, Keeneland has tinkered with the format of its mammoth September sale. The 2017 auction began with a super-select one-session Book 1, followed by a three-session Book 2. In 2018, Book 1 was held over four sessions, followed by a two-session Book 2 which left many buyers struggling to see horses from one side of the sales grounds to the other. This year, the auction opened with a three-session Book 1 and initial responses indicate this format may be just right. “The new format worked very well,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell said. “Book 1 was a sale within itself. It had great energy to it. There was more energy on the grounds the weekend prior to the start of the sale than I’ve seen in a long time. It had a great buzz going into it. Having fewer horses in Book 2 really set that sale up very well and helped Book 3.” Taylor Made Sale Agency’s Duncan Taylor agreed the 2019 format worked, but he said he is hoping for a more consistent level of Book 1 quality horses in the future. “I think the sale format was good this year,” Taylor said. “I think the people who sold million-dollar horses in Book 2, I think we should try to get all of those horses in Book 1. That keeps the momentum going. Some people have to put horses in Book 1 that might not be quite Book 1 horses. That sort of slows down the momentum of the sale. But I think we’re getting closer to that all the time. I think the three-day Book 1 worked well. People had time to look at the horses and I think both the sellers and the buyers were happy. So I think Keeneland has it right. Hopefully, they’ll keep it this way for several years to come.” Temple City Colt on Top in September Finale A colt by Temple City sold to LEG Group for $55,000 to top Sunday’s final session of the Keeneland September sale. Bred by Haymarket Farm and consigned by Vinery Sales, hip 4414 is the first foal out of Amizzen Grace (Yes It’s True), a half-sister to group placed Enforce (Kalanisi {Ire}). Amizzen Grace, carrying a full-sibling to the yearling, sold for $21,000 at this year’s Keeneland January sale. During the 13-day auction’s final session, 207 yearlings sold for $1,308,100. The average was $6,319 and the median was $3,500. With just 36 yearlings failing to make their reserves, the buy-back rate was 14.8%. At last year’s final session, 183 horses sold for 1,334,200. The average was $7,291 and the median was $4,000. The buy-back rate was 26.5%. The post With Demand to the End, Keeneland September Sale Concludes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Just 12 days before this current crop of 3-year-olds would graduate from its juvenile year, a $16,000 maiden-claiming race at Gulfstream turned into the key race of 2018. It was won by Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) and the third-place finisher was Math Wizard (Algorithms), the winner of Saturday’s GI Pennsylvania Derby. Two Grade I winners coming out of a $16,000 maiden claimer has assuredly never happened before and will never happen again, but it foreshadowed what was to become a very strange year for the 3-year-old male division. With the GI Pennsylvania Derby, the last two-turn dirt race on the year restricted to 3-year-olds, having now been run, the division is a bigger mess than ever. Perhaps it was fitting that Math Wizard won the race because he fit the narrative. He was claimed for $25,000, a race he won by 18 1/2 lengths, Jan. 31 by trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. Joseph has a knack for improving horses off the claim and Math Wizard did get better. But he had lost six straight and came into the Pennsylvania Derby off an 11 3/4-length defeat in the GIII West Virginia Derby. He was beaten in that race by Mr. Money (Goldencents), who he would face again in the Pennsylvania Derby. It was very hard to make a case for him on paper, but he swooped down the middle of the track to edge Mr. Money at the wire by a neck at odds of 31-1. “It was a priceless feeling,” Joseph said. “Everyone should have that feeling. Once you get that feeling, it makes you want to keep going more and more. I was proud for the horse, the way he performed. On his best day, if you looked at it, he was capable, but if he had run third or fourth, I would have been happy.” That’s how the Grade I’s for 3-year-old ended. They began with Maximum Security, the other $16,000 maiden claimer romping in the GI Florida Derby. Despite his humble beginnings, he looked like a future star, especially after he crossed the wire in front in the Derby. You know the rest of the story. The disqualification, the first ever of a Derby “winner” for interfering with other horses. The controversy. The lawsuits. Maximum Security did not show up for the GI Preakness S. or GI Belmont S., so maybe the horse that was placed first in the Derby, Country House (Lookin at Lucky) should take control of the division. Problem is, he hasn’t run since. The focus turned to War of Will (War Front) when he won the Preakness. After all, he was the horse that was bothered the most by Maximum Security in the Derby. Unlike Country House, he has kept plugging away, but has never won another race. The Pennsylvania Derby was his fourth straight defeat. The Belmont went to Sir Winston (Awesome Again). A horse that seemed to have woken up in his previous start, the GIII Peter Pan S., maybe he would be the one. Not so fast. He, too, has yet to run back. Just when you were ready to give up on the whole bunch of them, Maximum Security resurfaced. After a stunning defeat in the Pegasus S. he won the GI Haskell Invitational. He was on the right track, but only for a minute or two. Trainer Jason Servis planned to run him in the GI Travers S., but said he didn’t like the way the horse was training up to the race. Then he was actually entered in the Pennsylvania Derby, but was scratched due to what his veterinarian said was a displaced colon. It’s doubtful that he will run again this year. As for other Grade I winners, Omaha Beach (War Front) looked like the Derby favorite after winning the GI Arkansas Derby, but was also put on the sidelines following that race and is only now ready to come back. Roadster (Quality Road) won the GI Santa Anita Derby, finished 16th in the Derby and has been seen only once since, in a second-place finish in the GIII Affirmed S. in June. There’s one last hope, Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}). Brought along cautiously by trainer Shug McGaughey, he was a clear-cut winner of the Travers and will now go in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. With a Gold Cup win, he will likely jump to number one on everybody’s list of top 3-year-olds. That might not be fair to Maximum Security, the only horse among the group to win two Grade I’s, which doesn’t include the Derby, but he’s a victim of being out of sight out of mind. Code of Honor should run well in the Gold Cup, but maybe not. He could finish seventh and the race will be won by a 78-1 shot. That’s the kind of year it has been. Guarana Not Invincible After All The Chad Brown-trained Guarana (Ghostzapper) came into Saturday’s GI Cotillion S. at Parx with a reputation as a budding superstar. Her victory over GI Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress (Aletrnation) in the GI Acorn S. in just her second career start was nothing short of sensational. She followed that up with a win over a good horse in Point of Honor (Curlin) in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks. It looked like she could sew up the 3-year-old filly championship with a win in the Cotillion, but she was second best to Street Band (Istan). Perhaps we had it wrong all along, that Guarana isn’t the best 3-year-old filly in the country, she’s not even the best in her own barn. Dunbar Road (Quality Road) has been overshadowed by Guarana, even though that filly is coming off wins in the GII Mother Goose S. and the GI Alabama S. She will go next in the GI Spinster S. and a win there could mean that she, and not Guarana, will win the divisional championship. The problem there is she will have to beat the top older mare Elate (Medaglia d’Oro), which will be a tall order. And both of Brown’s fillies, should they go onto to the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff, will have to face, not only Elate, but divisional leader Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute). The Latest From Chicago No one really knows what is going to happen to Arlington Park and Chicago racing now that Churchill Downs has stunningly turned down a license to have slot machines and table games at Arlington. Churchill has committed to racing only through the 2021 season. Incensed by the decision, the Illinois Racing Board has threatened to not grant Arlington a license to run in 2020. I don’t see how that helps anyone. With Hawthorne busy building a casino of its own and also committed to run harness racing dates, they can’t fill the complete void left by Arlington. Should Arlington not run next year that would only exacerbate Illinois racing’s problems and give horsemen ever fewer option as to where to run. Plus, Churchill, as everyone knows is a gaming first, racing second, company. Track officials have had very little to say about the Arlington situation, but I doubt they would shed any tears should they not have to open next year. Illinois Governor J.B Pritzker said the move was “a significant reversal” on the legislation he shepherded, which he said was designed to allow “the racing industry to flourish.” So, obviously he’s not pleased either. It is the Illinois Gaming Board that runs casinos in Illinois, while the IRB has nothing to do with them. If Pritzker is truly that annoyed with Churchill, which owns the highly successful Rivers Casino not far from Arlington, perhaps he can let it be known that he will instruct the Illinois Gaming Board to make life as difficult as possible on Churchill if they do not change their minds about Arlington. This is not problem that can easily fixed. Congratulations to Sophie Doyle Riding regularly in the U.S. since 2014, Sophie Doyle picked up her first Grade I win aboard Street Band in the Cotillion. I’m sure her younger brother, James, was quite proud. James is a regular rider for the Godolphin operation in Europe and has 107 group wins to his credit, including two wins in the Sussex S., two wins in the Prince of Wales’s, two win in the St. James’s Palace S. and a victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. The post The Week in Review: Strange Year for 3-Year-Olds Gets Even Weirder appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Queensland Oaks winner Winning Ways has been crowned Queensland Horse of the Year. Queensland Oaks winner Winning Ways has been crowned Horse of the Year at the Queensland Thoroughbred Awards. The Garry Newham-trained Winning Ways, Queensland’s sole Group One winner in 2018/19, was also named the state’s Three-Year-Old of the Year at Sunday night’s function in Brisbane. Her owner Paul Makin died the week before the Oaks and his friend Newham paid an emotional tribute to him. Makin brought Newham out of retirement to train a number of horses for him after their past association with multiple Group One winner Starcraft. In the Trainer of the Year Award, Tony Gollan won for a sixth occasion, adding it to his metropolitan premiership win. Having steered The Bostonian to Group One success in the Doomben 10,000 and the Kingsford Smith Cup, Michael Cahill was named Jockey of the Year. RQ inducted five members into the Hall of Fame with Bore Head, one of the state’s premier stayers who won the 1963 Queensland Cup, 1964 Ipswich Cup, 1965 Caulfield Cup, the 1967 Australian Cup and the 1967 Doomben Cup, acknowledged for his accomplishments. Fresh off his record-equalling 11th Hong Kong premiership win, John Size was inducted as a Hall of Fame trainer, while Noel Best, who announced himself as a force to reckoned with at just 16 when he piloted Murray Stream to victory in the Doomben 10,000, was acknowledged for his feats in the saddle. The voice of the Darling Downs, experienced broadcaster Pat O’Shea, was inducted as an associate, as was former Tattersall’s Club President, Sir Albert Sakzewski. “Winning Ways was the standout thoroughbred performance over the season,” RQ chief executive Brendan Parnell said. “She’s developed into a very nice mare, but she had to fight off three legitimate contenders in Tyzone, Winter Bride and Zoustyle.” “Tony Gollan has been a consistent force in our training ranks and thoroughly deserves his sixth Trainer of the Year Award, while Michael Cahill enjoyed an outstanding winter carnival and year as a whole.” “It was also a huge thrill to be able to acknowledge our Hall of Fame inductees, including Pat O’Shea, who served as an early mentor of mine.” While edged out for the night’s top gong, Tyzone, who won the Listed Goldmarket Handicap and the Group 3 BRC Sprint for trainer Toby Edmonds – as well as finishing second in the Stradbroke Handicap – was named the Older Horse of the Year. The Kelly Schweida-trained The Odyssey was awarded the Two-Year-Old Horse of the Year after winning four of seven starts including the $500,000 2YO Jewel at the Gold Coast. 2019 TAB Queensland Thoroughbred Award Winners: Horse of the Year: Winning Ways Trainer: Tony Gollan Jockey: Michael Cahill Apprentice: Baylee Nothdurft Premier trainer: Tony Gollan Premier Jockey: Jeff Lloyd Premier Apprentice: Baylee Nothdurft Provincial Apprentice: Adin Thompson Country Apprentice: Emma Bell 2YO: The Odyssey 3YO: Winning Ways 4YO and Older: Tyzone Provincial Horse: Mr Attitude Provincial Trainer: Stuart Kendrick Provincial Premier Jockey: Justin Stanley Country Horse: Fab’s Cowboy Country Premier Trainer: Bevan Johnson Country Premier Jockey: Dan Ballard Hall of Fame Horse: Bore Head Jockey: Noel Best Trainer: John Size Associates: Sir Albert Sakzewski and Pat O’Shea The post Winning Ways crowned Qld Horse of the Year appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Santa Ana Lane will run in either Sydney or Melbourne after missing The Shorts at Randwick. After aborting Plan A for Santa Ana Lane’s Everest preparation, connections of the star sprinter remain optimistic it will not negatively impact on his chance to win the $14 million sprint. Santa Ana Lane was scheduled to head to Sydney to run first-up in Saturday’s Group Two Shorts (1100m), won by Pierata, but after more than 80mm of rain at Randwick during the week, trainer Anthony Freedman decided to keep him at home in Melbourne. The five-time Group One winner is instead scheduled to make his return on October 5 at either Randwick in the Premiere Stakes or Flemington in The Gilgai, two weeks before the $14 million Everest (1200m) at Randwick. The past three times Santa Ana Lane has won have been off a four-week gap between races. “It was obviously going to work really well to go four weeks from The Shorts to The Everest with a trial in between,” Freedman’s son and assistant trainer, Sam Freedman, said. “But going back through his record he won The Goodwood last year off a two-week back-up so it’s not foreign to him and he’s pretty bombproof these days. “Ideally we would have had three weeks but there’s nothing next week other than the Moir Stakes, so we’re just happy to give him a trial probably next Thursday at Flemington and then he’ll head to either The Gilgai or Premiere.” The decision which event he runs in will not be made until the week of both races. “If we feel he needs that trip away and we think it might bring him on then we’ll send him to Sydney, but if we’re really happy with how he’s going down here we may just run him down here and then go up for The Everest as a bit of a hit-and-run mission,” Freedman said. Santa Ana Lane had been the long-time favourite for The Everest but Pierata assumed favouritism at $5 after his win in The Shorts, with Santa Ana Lane now second pick at $6. The post Two-state options for Santa Ana Lane appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Some of Queensland’s best known racing names have joined the Kilcoy Race Club committee. Kilcoy, 80km north of Brisbane, was a foundation Friday TAB circuit club in Queensland before being bumped back to country status about 20 years ago. In recent years it has made a resurgence with nine TAB meetings and it hopes that will grow to one a month. The club has also undergone extensive renovations on and off the track with the backing of the Somerset Council. There are plans for further expansion at Kilcoy which also has a good relationship with the Brisbane Racing Club. President Con Searle announced the committee after elections this week with high profile racing figures Kevin Dixon, Bart Sinclair and Paul Dolan successful. Dixon is the former chairman of Racing Queensland and has extensive background as a breeder and owner. Sinclair, a long time racing journalist and commentator, is a Queensland Hall Of Fame inductee. Dolan was one of Queensland’s leading race callers until he retired recently and also has served on other race club committees. The post Kilcoy Club hoping for more TAB meetings appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

Yao Dash (red/white) is likely to take his place in the $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose at Rosehill. The lightly raced Yao Dash, the only horse to beat Funstar, is now set to take his place in the Group One Golden Rose. The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained three-year-old won his midweek debut at Canterbury last month and backed it up with victory at Rosehill on September 7 when he held off Funstar by half a length in a 1300m-race. The Chris Waller-trained Funstar came out on top at her fourth start in a three-way tussle with Probabeel and Libertini in Saturday’s Tea Rose Stakes to assert her authority on the Group One Flight Stakes on October 5. While connections were originally planning to bypass the Golden Rose (1400m) with Yao Dash, Dynamic Syndications boss Dean Watt said his trackwork last week had prompted a change of heart. Watt said a final decision whether Yao Dash ran in Saturday’s 1400m-feature would be made after trackwork on Tuesday. “It all depends upon how Yao Dash continues handling the pressure in what is his first racing preparation,” Watt said. “A final decision on a jockey and whether we accept with Yao Dash in the Golden Rose will be delayed until after his final trackwork gallop on Tuesday morning. “It is now more likely than not, Yao Dash would be accepted into the Golden Rose.” Yao Dash is on the third line of Golden Rose betting at $9 alongside Kubrick. Bivouac and Exceedance are the $3.50 equal favourites with Yes Yes Yes next at $4.50. Nash Rawiller had already accepted the ride on Yes Yes Yes when he thought Yao Dash would be going to the Stan Fox Stakes. Funstar is the $3 favourite ahead of Probabeel ($4) for the Flight Stakes (1600m) on October 5. Libertini’s trainer Anthony Cummings will make a decision during the week whether the filly heads to that race but says it is unlikely. “I just think the other two are going to be much better at the mile than what Libertini is going to be,” he said. Funstar is a half sister by 2014 Cox Plate winner Adelaide to 2018 Queensland Oaks winner Youngstar. The post Yao Dash likely for Group One Golden Rose appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article